Comcast Sports Group Promotes Executives to New Business Development Positions

Comcast Sports Group has promoted two executives to newly created vice president-level positions to support the company’s rapid and continued growth.

Troy Ewanchyna has been named vice president of digital strategy to drive the growth of the digital and multiplatform properties for the company’s regional networks. Ewanchyna has served as senior director of digital media since April of 2008. His accomplishments include overhauling the websites for several of the company’s networks to deliver substantially more original local sports coverage, most recently launching CSNPhilly.com’s live online coverage of the Philadelphia 76ers.

Ewanchyna previously held new media business development positions with the NHL and other organizations, where his responsibilities included developing the NHL’s league-wide online content distribution strategy and managing business operations for the NHL Network. Ewanchyna, who will continue to report to Comcast Sports Group Executive Vice President and Chief Digital Officer Eric Grilly, holds a graduate master’s degree in sport management from the University of Massachusetts and a bachelor’s degree in economics from Princeton University, where he was captain of the varsity ice hockey team. He and his wife reside in New Jersey with their two children.

Jim Pekala has been named vice president of business development to oversee the company’s growth, including though launching and acquiring new programming rights, additional networks, business partnerships, and other activities including affiliate sales growth. Pekala previously served as senior director of business development and worked on the acquisition of Comcast SportsNet New England and Comcast SportsNet Bay Area in 2007 and the launch of Comcast SportsNet Northwest in 2007 and The Mtn. – MountainWest Sports Network in 2006.

Pekala has held a variety of programming development and acquisition positions at Comcast, including working on the NHL rights agreement for the Comcast-owned Versus network. He previously served as audit associate with Pricewaterhouse Coopers in Philadelphia. Pekala, who will continue to reporter to Comcast Sports Group President Jon Litner, is a certified public accountant and holds an accounting degree from Villanova University. He and his wife reside in Philadelphia with their two children.

Litner says, “Troy and Jim have made enormous contributions to our success and we’re fortunate to have their talent and expertise as we continue to explore and develop new opportunities to serve local sports fans across multiple platforms.”